Making a Backpack from Birch Bark - Finnish Folk

The process of making a backpack made of birch bark.
A homemade traditional take on the factory produced options on the market, or perhaps for some, a survival backpack .
Weaving is a primitive technology often forgotten but is a good project for bushcraft development or simply because it's a very alluring skill to learn.
Birch bark is a great material, it can also be used for axe sheath, knife sheath, canoe, roofing for shelters, belts, foraging baskets, shoes and more.
Weaved backpacks in birch bark are great for trips in the wild; some weaves can be pulled out (and replaced later) to be used for fire making.
The best time to harvest birch bark is between May and beginning July; depending on your location and year. The bark will grow back and the tree will continue to grow if the cambium was not damaged during the harvesting. The cambium is the layer between the bark and the wood pulp.
The new bark will be dark in color, so choosing discrete trees spread through a wide area is a good aesthetic thing to do, or simply take from trees that will be destined for firewood due woods management.
In this video, I take the bark of a standing tree that is dying; I did it for demonstration, but the bark of dead trees in my location is not good and I do it uncareful as tree has no future. I recommend to search for better examples, on living trees.
If the birch bark is not good in your location or you do not own permission to harvest; birch bark can be purchased from sustainable sources.
UPdate:
-There is another way to reenforce the opening of the backpack, I will be doing a video to supplement this one showing how to strengthen the opening without twine. If you would like to know it and the video happens to not be online yet, feel free to contact me on fb for an explanation.
Notes:
-To have an idea of the final size of this backpack, I used weaves of 2,8 cm (a bit more than an inch) and weaved 12 weaves on 12. The backpack is around 53x43x13 CM or around 20x17x5 IN. I am 160 cm; A bigger person can weave a bigger backpack.
-the smallest backpack shown in the video, is made with the same weaves of 2,8 cm but it has for base 10 on 10 weaves. A great size for a day pack or foraging.
-Bedrolls or tools can be easily attached outside of the backpack in between the weaves.
thank you for stepping by!

[@lukovictijana]

This was so calming to watch 😌 I enjoyed every little, slow moment of it ♥️♥️♥️

[@MianaRaposo]

thank you Tijanatje!! ♥️♥️♥️

[@jefferyneedham1581]

Such a beautiful young lady and your work is amazing without saying a word you've said it all. You are definitely an artist..

[@Tapanitseini]

Pleasant surprise seeing the traditional art of Finnish birchbark work.

[@EokaBeamer69]

very cool technique

[@roberthaygens7827]

Awesome skill! Beautiful work! Thank you for not letting this craft disappear.

[@MianaRaposo]

thank you Robert, it was very meaningful to do this!:)

[@MrChillerNo1]

Absolutely stunning work! Keep doing what you're doing!

[@charlottemccrea8669]

I agree with every word Tijana said....it was very well made, I loved the whole atmosphere and so much the craft itself, just beautiful ...thank you for sharing

[@peacefulscrimp5183]

Great video 👌

[@nomadichunter2818]

That's a pretty looking basket. Thanks for showing us mam! This is a hidden gem. Very nice.

[@duskraven8194]

This video is so stunning! I love how in between shots of making the backpack you included the beautiful landscape. Thank you for uploading this gem ❤

[@MianaRaposo]

such kind comment , thank you so much

[@djp_2020]

This is such an amazing video! I really hope you make more! It'd be great to see you make a birch bark basket

[@MrChillerNo1]

Also beautiful video editing work.

[@theguywitheyebrows]

that was such a cool experience!! i imagine making the basketpack is a good time, soothing in its way, listening to the sounds of nature was soothing for me. i wanna learn how to do this!! i feel like i have a general idea how to start but the details elude me, maybe i'll have better luck weaving stuff in hand than in my mind!! thanks for the share!

[@VanaheimrUllr]

Love this. The sounds, the craft, the knowledge. Best TV ever =)

[@7kyro]

Someone get this woman a bucket. That stream water keeps getting away no matter how hard she tries.

[@MianaRaposo]

why?

[@7kyro]

@@MianaRaposo Im just pulling your leg. Love the design.

[@jacyne355]

Your video was very interesting, what a beautiful backpack.

[@pintje9]

Magic!! 🥰

[@MianaRaposo]

😚

[@johanvillemoes3374]

This is really cool!

[@KuukkeliBushcraft]

What no song for us on this one😂. Beautiful backpack and fantastic video.

[@chadweissert6858]

I love it, thank you for sharing.

[@luna-vm5ie]

So inspiring ☺️❤️

[@d4ro]

beautifully crafted

[@artspro]

So pretty! Thanks for your great video! 😊

[@forage.and.rewild]

What an amazing video, your channel is so good, happy to have found it!! x

[@schatzishomestead8427]

This was so beautiful. Look forward to more videos.

[@mdemargarida]

Very interesting!

[@TheWeirdguy6]

Very impressive

[@adeirwansyah1683]

everything on this video is beautiful.. i'm your fans now

[@ilprimario]

Gran lavoro, bravissima!

[@getmeouttahere5123]

Absolutely awesome video! You are extremely talented and live in such a beautiful location! Best Bushcraft video I’ve seen in a long, long while 😍

[@lyonmandan]

Great work! Beautiful filming. I look forward to seeing more from you.

[@MianaRaposo]

super kind of you, i wished that some shots were better done! it was tricky to work and film at the same time

[@siisen4784]

what a truly wonderful project. so many skills on display here, thank you for sharing!

[@MianaRaposo]

thank you Simon! enjoy the farm and sunshine ☀️

[@arjantjeee]

Awesome

[@loldfield778]

beautiful thankyou ❤ gonna have a go myself

[@MianaRaposo]

if you need help while doing, feel free to ask :)

[@jakobpetrov1750]

I like this it's very nice craft. I made a small basket from cherry bark once, lime bark is good for weaving too.

[@root7875]

Прекрасное видео, благодарю! Вы красавица :)

[@Explorerwolf]

Fantastica 👏😊

[@MianaRaposo]

obrigada!!

[@charlesleblanc6638]

Exceptional craftsmanship ... Gorgeous looking pack, which must be very light and a pleasure to carry around. Beautiful footage & setting.

[@MianaRaposo]

thank you so much and yes its very light :)

[@user-du7ks7di1f]

THANKS

[@marianacruz9240]

Que lindo Miana 💚 faz mais videos assim. Muitas saudades

[@MianaRaposo]

marianinha minha minha! obrigada pelo apoio incondicional! saudades mesmo a mil!!

[@ruisantos7993]

Parabéns, isto está muito giro, tanto o vídeo como o backpack!

[@MianaRaposo]

obrigada Rui!!:)) muitos beijinhos

[@marcoslibenmor]

Quanta beleza nesse vidêo.

[@jhtsurvival]

Cool

[@user-ik3qh4ve5b]

Вы очаровательная волшебница.

[@MianaRaposo]

благодарю вас

[@illidari12211]

This is awesome. I am getting ready to get into weaving. I have collecting wild wheat and some cattail. I have to wait for them to dry. I didn't know you could weave bark like that. I think I'll have to add it to things to collect. I kinda want to get into making rope and thread from dogsbane and milkweed, eventually..

[@suzisaintjames]

Most baskets made from thin, strips like this are made from bark or wood, processed pretty much the same way. There's lots of videos.💖🌞🌵😷

[@antonanon]

Я с вам влюбился. Спасибо за урок. Антон

[@K1To749]

❤

[@koendebelie197]

That backpack looks awesome! Who knew you could do stuff like this with birch bark... Do you know of any other tree species that don't suffer from bark removal in the springtime?

[@tonypino2858]

Manden Vlechten mooi

[@MianaRaposo]

dank u wel!

[@bimazivanovic4784]

How strong would you say the pack is? Compared to modern packs of that size? I'm not talking like heavy duty military stuff,but just regular modern backpacks. Also how is it with durability? Very interesting video

[@imacow62]

Thankyou for the blessed video! I can tell you definitely know what what you are doing, a true master. May I ask why you are soaking the bark in water, both before and after construction? And what about harvesting the bark, any tips? Anyway, thankyou very much from Michigan, USA.

[@MianaRaposo]

hi Ryan, I am no master :) but thanks! I soak the bark during the process of making when I need the bark to hold a fold or a shape, less changes of a crack. In the end once all is done I do it for a few reasons, the first was because I wanted to shape the backpack, so the top part would close better. Second, I wanted the leather straps to be wet so I would use them for a while while wet and get my shoulder shape. Third is a symbolic move I do with things I craft, I emerge them in water once complete... to every fiber, bark, leather, wool, linen etc, become One; its a birth of a tool. For Bark harvesting you can read some info in the description and find more KZbin videos on the matter from other people:)

[@imacow62]

@@MianaRaposo Thankyou for the swift and informative reply.

[@Martabtf]

❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@waysoftheearth6098]

Beautiful! Thank you for sharing. Can you tell me the purpose of the final soak? After you finished it, you soaked it but I didn't see you reshaped it or anything so am curious of the purpose of that final step. Thanks again!

[@MianaRaposo]

Thank you, I do it for shape giving, you can see me shaping the opening fold on the time frame 12:40; I like to soak even the leather straps and cary the bag still wet with weight inside, you would be surprised how much the bark and leather shape to your flesh, and once dried it fits you as a glove hopefully... This soaking is not always necessary, depends on the bark and the project!

[@waysoftheearth6098]

@@MianaRaposo Great. Thank you!! Makes perfect sense.

[@amyluhillfamily]

This back pack is beautiful. I want to try it.. i cut strips 12” long and it didnt work. The 12 on 12 weaves… How long is each piece of birch. Thanks so much

[@MianaRaposo]

hi, probably between 25 and 35cm and then sewed together. I start with longer sewed weaves to have enough to fold and weave a bit before i have to start replacing them. Where are you stuck? you can send me a picture on fb with your work and I can tell you the next step

[@Aethelvlad]

beautiful work, how long does one of these last? is there anything you can do to naturally treat it further? pine tar?

[@MianaRaposo]

thank you! the durability depends on how tight you weave. In this case i wove loose to show the movement and pattern, but if weaved tighter than it can last more than your life if kept in normal conditions. No need to give any treatment

[@rens1030]

Noticing the special care needed to be taken to collect the living materials. Wondering about the regenerative process of the trees. Could you please adress this? Kind regards

[@MianaRaposo]

the tree I took the bark off was destined to firewood. please find further information on the description of this video.

[@rens1030]

@@MianaRaposo Thank you for the respons! And pardon my ''not looking further than my nose''

[@zoeagasi7689]

He! I have specifically been looking for a video about this backpack, that i found in a birchbark book. So happy you made it, thank you. I already collected the birchbark and want to start next week but have no idea how to start, haha. so therefore i hoped to find a video and just did :). Some questions: what are the name of this types of clips, i cant find them online. How long doe the straps need to be (i am affright mine are to short) or can i just add them to make longer. And do you have a plan on how i know the size for the bottom.

[@MianaRaposo]

Hej! So nice to hear this project has arrived to your hands. I use toothless alligator clips, but clothes pins work as good, and you probably have them already around. This clips are nice for small projects but big ones clothes pegs do the job. My bark belonged to trees between 25 and 35 cm diameter but i sew them together to start up the base, and added more on the go. The end size is always kind of surprise, i wrote some info on the sizing in the description for reference Enjoy the process:)

[@zoeagasi7689]

@@MianaRaposo Thank you so much! :D I will be working on it this weekend!

[@bartbast8013]

Amazing video, I am trying to craft my own but it is difficult to find guides on how to, but this video is a great source. Did you add an entire second layer of bark between 7:31 and 7:41? Or is it just the ends that you are weaving in? Thank you for uploading

[@MianaRaposo]

Hello ! thank you for the interesse. I weaved the outer layer mostly off camera with just new bark weaves. Now that I look back I should have filmed a in between step, but it's just like I show in 8:08 . Success in your weaving, if you need help don't hesitate to ask. Craft is not dead!

[@bartbast8013]

@@MianaRaposo thank you for your answering, Then I will ask straight away: When making the outer layer you put the "outside/white side" of the bark facing the backpack, is there a reason to do so? (I'm thinking of doing the opposite since my bark is dirty from the rotten wood on the inside)

[@MianaRaposo]

@@bartbast8013 The inside of the bark (brown side) is water repellent/proof, that's why is used for the outer layer. Some crafters enjoy doing the opposite mostly for aesthetical reasons, and even mix the brown and white side, I think there is some birch bark shoes pattern that use a weave in the opposite way for functionality, not sure. This particular backpack was weaved a bit loose because its easier to read and understand in the video, but usually I weave tighter, and if tighter than its worth using the brown side exposed to the elements. You can soak the bark in warm water and try to take away the dead inner bark stuck to it, usually is the bark from dead trees on southern locations is not so good.

[@bartbast8013]

@@MianaRaposo this is exactly what I needed to know, thank you so much.

[@dinahhordern5139]

Beautiful 🤩

[@emilialockhart6733]

Great video, and beautiful work! :) I am very interested in learning bark weaving, and I want to make one of these so bad. How long would you say one of these packs last with regular use? (As you would a purse) i plan on making a smaller one with a leather flap for a closure.

[@MianaRaposo]

hi, it depends how well you weave it; my first weaved backpack I use it a lot and its still doing fine, caring heavy stuff often but I do need to reenforce it in a place it was less tight weaved as I was unexperienced... I never had a problem with it so I suspect it can last more than a human life? I don't know:)

[@emilialockhart6733]

@@MianaRaposo thank you so much :) for me it seems like a rather challenging project and I just wanted to make sure that it would last a while and be worth the effort. I know they say the birch bark shoes only last about 74 kilometers. Speaking of, have you thought about making a video of how to weave birch bark shoes? I'd love to see how you craft them.

[@MianaRaposo]

@@emilialockhart6733yes i have considered and i love them but i didn’t want to bring only birch bark videos to the channel; I have other ideas eventually to make but I am taking now a break; moved to a new place and I want to use my time a bit off camera; learning a Scandinavian language takes a lot of my free time that was once for crafts:) i will be back eventually! if you get stuck somewhere in the project feel free to contact me on fb for guidance! good luck

[@Juan-sn3wm]

I have written you on pm as you suggest. Thank you!

[@MianaRaposo]

i found your message regarding the opening of the pack i will answer you soon, i m currently traveling

[@user-ur1lw9um1m]

Потрясающе! Где вы этому научились?

[@MianaRaposo]

спасибо, я узнал один после покупки старого рюкзака из Финляндии

[@user-ur1lw9um1m]

А ножны из бересты,вы тоже сами делали?

[@MianaRaposo]

@@user-ur1lw9um1m ножны ножа? да, я сделал это довольно легко

[@user-ur1lw9um1m]

Я из России! Береста и для меня традиционный поделочный материал. Могли бы вы, показать, как они (ножны)делаются? Если не ошибаюсь-"туохитуппи".

[@MianaRaposo]

@@user-ur1lw9um1m Да, я знаю, что береста - тоже часть русской традиции. Я нахожу больше информации из России, чем из Финляндии. Если я хорошо понял, вы просите меня снять видео на ножны для ножа? Этой осенью я планировал снять об этом одно видео.

[@JasonHurricane]

hi Miana do you think i could use nylon webbing instead of birch bark to make a backpack like this?

[@MianaRaposo]

hi Jason; I don’t know i never tried!

[@zendoken5177]

If your weaves are to short when weaving the inside, Would sew them together or just overlap them and continue?

[@MianaRaposo]

hi! although I usually sew them before, with such big project, the weaves will run out before i reach the end of the inner ‘walls’ so I just add more, preferably making them stuck 2 ‘weaves before’ if if makes sense, if weaved very tight sometimes only one weave before seems enough, but better 2!

[@zendoken5177]

@@MianaRaposo thanks! Will test to overlap them 2 weaves 👍🏻

[@andrewkrahn2629]

why do you dunk the whole pack, straps and all, at the end?

[@MianaRaposo]

few reasons, the bark to help shaping it, the leather straps so they get my body shape while I walk with them wet. Also because this is a big project, and there is a lot of white dust from the bark that I prefer to wash off as birch bark powder makes my cat sneeze, and he is very old...

[@RideOfTheRohirrim]

what is that husk like material right around 10:40?

[@MianaRaposo]

back sinew!:)

[@RideOfTheRohirrim]

@@MianaRaposo awesome, are you working on anything new for future videos? The backpack and sheathe were amazing

[@amyluhillfamily]

I. Am sorry to bother you again but I can’t figure out the corners. I have a mess and I have started over 6 times :(

[@MianaRaposo]

Amy if you have facebook feel free to send me a message there i can try to explain you better:)

[@OLORS]

Beautiful! Birch bark is the best! I make similar slöjd videos as well, if you'd like to watch. Thank you for this one!

[@MianaRaposo]

Thank you, birch bark is a great material to carry little secrets and memories under the weaves:) Your channel is lovely, thank you for sharing it with me. I love to connect with other crafters

[@OLORS]

@@MianaRaposo I'm so glad you like it! Your videos are awesome, so beautiful. I think you love slöjd (and "nature") as much as I do. It's the absolute best!

[@livinginthecrafts7926]

Приветствую! какая ширина лент

[@MianaRaposo]

its written in the description:)

[@livinginthecrafts7926]

@@MianaRaposo Thanks, I'll read this

[@MianaRaposo]

@@livinginthecrafts7926 добро пожаловать, есть неделя великий брат

[@carlosamor5420]

Will be better if you use a mold.

[@MianaRaposo]

hi there, yes for common basket weaving you can use sometimes a mold, but i can tell, you haven’t worked with birch bark yet, it wouldn’t be possible to weave, the nature of the craft is different than other basket making. Traditionally is also done without a mold.

[@antonietaghgiacalone9262]

Saludos. Extraer la corteza del árbol puede dañarlo?

[@MianaRaposo]

no, if done properly no, for more information you can read the description:)

[@MrTerrymccollough]

I hope that was a dead standing/dying tree or you have plans for the entire tree. There is no reason to take bark from a healthy tree.

[@MianaRaposo]

read description

[@bimazivanovic4784]

How strong would you say the pack is? Compared to modern packs of that size? I'm not talking like heavy duty military stuff,but just regular modern backpacks. Also how is it with durability? Very interesting video

[@MianaRaposo]

thank you, the straps and wood structure inside is strong if you use a strong thread and the holes done didn’t open a split…The bark is very strong as well if weaved tight. However I don't cary more than 10kg max...I don't know how it behaves with more weight